UK Boxing
Leigh Wood vs Josh Warrington 2 – substantial fight preview and predictions
The great sport of boxing returns to Nottingham this weekend, with Leigh Wood and Josh Warrington looking to finally settle their bitter rivalry.
Wood (28-4, 17 KO) defeated Warrington (32-4-1, 8 KO) in their first fight in overdue 2023, defeating dramatic stop.
The ‘Leeds Warrior’ seemed to be cruising through the opening rounds before he was caught out in the seventh round by a right-left combination which the 37-year-old used to end the fight in style.
Saturday night will be a crossroads fight for both men in the final stage of their careers.
Both fighters are coming off defeats against Anthony Cacace, with Warrington going to the final bell and Wood stopping in the ninth round.
Warrington has fought only once since losing to “Apache”, outclassing Asad Asif Khan within 10 rounds.
Wood hosts on Saturday, with the return leg taking place at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham.
This will be the sixth time that ‘Leigh-thal’ will be boxing in his hometown arena and he will be looking to put on a show.
Warrington will need to stay switched on throughout, having learned first-hand that Wood can turn the fight around at any time.
Wood defeated Michael Conlan in similar dramatic fashion in 2022, stopping the Irishman in the 12th round.
Bilal Fawaz vs. Ishmael Davis fight
In the co-main event, Bilal Fawaz (10-1-1, 3 KO) will want to continue his fairy tale streak after his last appearance.
In the Dave Allen vs Arslanbek Makhmudov rematch, Fawaz defeated highly rated prospect Junaid Bostan.
Fawaz will face Ishmael Davis (15-3, 6 KO) for the British and Commonwealth super welterweight titles, which may prove to be a turning point in the winner’s career.
“Black Panther” proved it belonged in the top tier of the domestic scene, performing well against names like Caoimhin Agyarko, Sam Gilley and Troy Williamson.
Two of Davis’ losses came against some of the most technically sound fighters in the sport, causing him to lose points to Josh Kelly and, in brief order, to lose by stoppage to Serhii Bohachuk.
Sandy Ryan vs. Karla Ramos Zamora
Former WBO welterweight world champion Sandy Ryan (8-3-1, 3 KO) returns to action and looks set to become a two-time world champion.
Ryan fought for belt unification in 2023, drawing with Jessica McCaskill for the IBO, WBC and WBO welterweight titles.
Last year, she was defeated by Mikaela Mayer in Las Vegas over 10 rounds.
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Ryan will face Karla Ramos Zamora (12-10-2, 4 KO) for the vacant WBC super lightweight crown.
Undercard remaining
Amateur star Tiah Mai Ayton (4-0, 4 KO) will fight her second eight-round fight as a professional.
Ayton has yet to hear the final bell, and all four of her wins have ended before the fourth round.
It should be enough to stop Catherine Tacone Ramos (9-3-1, 2 KO) in the second phase of the fight.
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Former UFC champion turned boxer Molly McCann (2-0, 1 KO) will appear in the squared circle for the third time against Beata Dudek (7-8, 4 KO).
Her power could earn her a second career break at Nottingham.
Potential blue chip Leo Atang (4-0, 4 KO) has been performing flawlessly since his debut last summer.
He will face Dan Garber (11-6, 2 KO), who previously shared the ring with Viddal Riley and Hughie Fury.
Atang should have another decisive victory, but a more experienced operator may extend it by a few rounds.
Fan favorite David Allen (24-8-2, 19 KO) returns after a loss to Arslanbek Makhmudov.
He will face Frenchman Karim Berredjem (12-10, 3 KO) and should secure a knockout victory in what looks like a routine assignment.
The post Leigh Wood vs Josh Warrington 2 – Large Fight Preview and Predictions appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
On Saturday in Sheffield, Josh Padley will defend his European super featherweight title against Aqib Fiaz for the first time.
Eddie HearnMatchroom is promoting the Padley vs Fiaz fight from Utilita Arena live on DAZN worldwide.
The pair were scheduled to fight on the undercard, but were later advanced to the main event Dalton Smith’s WBC super lightweight title defense against Albert Puello and then Galal Yafai’s clash with unified flyweight world champion Ricardo Sandoval was shelved due to injury.
Padley (18-1, 6 KO) won the vacant belt after a second-round stoppage of Jaouad Belmehdi in Newcastle in January.
The 30-year-old has won three times since a ninth-round defeat to Shakur Stevenson for the WBC lightweight title on four days’ notice.
Fiaz (14-1, 2 KO) is looking to break the script here and has won two in a row since an eight-round retirement loss to mutual opponent Reece Bellotti in 2023, whom Padley defeated by unanimous decision in October.
The 26-year-old last didn’t play 11 months ago, securing a unanimous decision victory over Alex Murphy.
Nadim-Sulaimaan will fight for the title of English champion
Ibrahim Nadim defends his English super featherweight crown for the first time against Ibraheem Sulaimaan.
Nadim (16-1, 2 KO) secured the vacant belt with a unanimous decision victory over Numan Hussain in November, and Sulaimaan (10-0, 5 KO) became the Midlands Area champion with a sixth-round victory over Nico Ogbeide also in November.
Undercard remaining
Middleweight Aaron Bowen (7-1, 5 KO) suffered his first professional loss to Tom Cowling in November, but can get back to winning ways with a stoppage victory over Troy Coleman (15-4-1, 7 KO).
Heavyweight prospect Leo Atang (6-0, 5 KO) can remain excellent by defeating Frenchman Fouad Shaili (5-4-2, 3 KO).
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Connor Mitchell (2-0, 1 KO) can improve his undefeated record by scoring points over Jesus Carrasco (2-4-2) at featherweight, while Chris Mulanda (2-0) can do the same against Connor Goulding (6-12) in their middleweight bout.
Adam Maca (5-0, 5 KO) and Edward Hardy (6-0, 2 KO) will return to the pitch against an as yet unspecified opponent.
The post Josh Padley vs Aqib Fiaz – Gigantic Fight Preview and Predictions appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
Anthony Joshua won’t be leaving boxing any time soon.
Joshua returns to the ring on July 25 in Saudi Arabia against Kristian Prengi, ahead of a thrilling clash with long-time rival Tyson Fury in November.
The two-time world heavyweight champion was expected to potentially end his career after his long-awaited clash with Fury, but the 36-year-old insists he can continue for another four years, even opening the door to a potential clash with the rising 21-year-old heavyweight champion, Moses This is going to hurt.
“For me, maybe until I’m 40,” Joshua told reporters.
“It’s only been about three or four years.
“I’ll be 37 in October, so it’s only three years, it’ll go by quickly.
“Of course it will be challenging, but I definitely think I’m tough enough to do it.
“Why not, why not? I’m definitely more mature.”
“AJ” will fight for the first time since the sixth-round knockout of Jake Paul in Miami in December.
The Watford player took a break from the sport after he was involved in a devastating road accident in Nigeria 10 days later that killed two of his close friends, Latif “Latz” Ayodele and Sina Ghami.
Joshua, who met Prenga face-to-face earlier this week, said he strongly supports parents Ayodele and Ghami.
“You’ll never get over it, but you’ll gain perspective in life,” he said BBC Sport.
“Life sometimes teaches you humility. You never know your fate.
“As a soldier, I stand powerful in defense of their parents.
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“First of all, it’s not about me.
“I think it’s crucial to put parents first at this time.
“I will have time to grieve, but I know that right now my heart and mind say that their parents are my main priority.”
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Joshua’s fight against Prenga will take place at the Jeddah Superdome.
Fury, who retired in April to defeat Arslanbek Makhmudov, is scheduled to have another warm-up fight on August 1.
The post Anthony Joshua REVEALS when he will retire from boxing appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
Chris Billam-Smith returns to his hometown of Bournemouth to headline the inaugural Zuffa Boxing UK event against Ryan Rozicki on Saturday.
Billam-Smith is taking on Rozicki at the Bournemouth International Center and the bill is being broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK and Paramount+ in the US.
“The Gentleman” is fighting in Bournemouth for the first time since he forced Mateusz Masternak to retire in the eighth round during the first defense of his WBO cruiserweight title.
After taking revenge on Richard Riakporhe in a rematch, the 35-year-old dropped the heavyweight belt lost by unanimous decision to Zurdo Ramirez in reunification in 2024
Billam-Smith (21-2, 13 KO) returned to winning ways after a points victory over Brandon Glanton in his last appearance in April last year.
Rozicki (21-1-1, 20 KO) has lost only once in his 23 professional fights, overtaken by Oscar Rivas in the fight for the WBC bridgeweight crown in 2021.
“The Bruiser” previously fought for the WBC interim cruiserweight title and drew against Yamil Alberto Peralta.
The 31-year-old Canadian returned to winning ways after knocking out Gerardo Mellado in the second round in March and will enter Saturday’s fight as the number one contender in the WBC rankings.
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Massey meets Clarke
Jack Massey meets Cheavon Clarke at the cruiserweight crossroads.
Massey (23-3, 13 KO) was knocked out by Opetaia in his fight for the 2024 IBF cruiserweight crown, but got back into the win column in November with a fourth-round stoppage of Ivan Gabriel Garcia.
Clarke (11-2, 8 KO), a 2020 Olympian, saw his progress ponderous after consecutive losses to Leonardo Mosquea and Viddal Riley.
After returning to play in December, the 35-year-old knocked out Anthony Holloway in the fourth round.
Undercard remaining
Lee Cutler (15-2, 7 KO) from Bournemouth moves to middleweight and can return to winning ways thanks to a points victory over Aaron Sutton (19-2, 3 KO).
Heavyweight Ivan Dychko (15-1, 14 KO) was defeated by Jermaine Franklin in September, but should bounce back by handing Harvey Dykes (7-0-1) his first loss after the break.
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Stephen McKenna (15-1, 14 KO) hasn’t fought since his loss to Cutler in 2024, but he should return after his victory over Casey James Streeter (15-3-2, 6 KO) in the middleweight division.
In the third middleweight fight, Sam Hickey (4-0, 1 KO) can break the undefeated record of Todd Tompkins (4-0) by scoring points.
Airy heavyweight Leon Hughes (4-0, 3 KO) and welterweight Alex Macmillan (3-0, 2 KO) should secure victories in their respective fights via stoppage.
The post Chris Billam-Smith vs. Ryan Rozicki – Gigantic Fight Preview and Predictions appeared first on ProBoxing-Fans.com.
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